Travel Europe | #8 Postcards from Croatia

Travel Europe | #8 Postcards from Croatia

Before heading to Sarajevo where I would spend the next year working, I made a brief stop in Zagreb to visit a few friends I met in Poland the year before. Unlike most European capitals, Zagreb is very dull. I bet few tourists intentionally travel here unless they are drunk out of their minds the night before and got on the wrong train. Croatia’s tourism jewels aka tourist traps lie along the Dalmatian coast, or as the Bosnians say the seaside. Let not think that this a blatant attempt from the Bosnians to usurp their neighbors’ territory. It is an old habit to refer to something which used to be theirs when Bosnia and Croatia were part of the same country, the Yugoslavia.

The Dalmatian coast not only sucks money out of most Bosnians, but it also crawls its long fingers all the way to the Czech Republic. Similar to the Bosnians, Czechs suffer a disease called SDD (Sea/Salt Deficit Disorder). There isn’t a summer pass by that I don’t know anyone from the Czech Republic who buy discount holiday packages or drive a daunting half-day to Dalmatia.

Croatian seaside is no stranger to less economically well-off Eastern Europeans who don’t want to burn their vacation budget on pricey Spain, France or Italy, but it might not be known to other travelers outside of Europe. Visit Croatia while it hasn’t gotten too far to the tourist’s dark side.

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Fun facts about Croatia

1. Who let these dogs out? Yup, the 1001 cute Dalmatian dogs ran away from Dalmatia into one the most famous Disney’s cartoons.
2. Businessmen would look a less dashing and waiters would get less tip if it weren’t for the ties they put around their necks. “A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life,” said Oscar Wilde. The necktie or cravat was invented by Croatians in the 17th century. A group of Croatian mercenaries wore these cute little ties and impressed the French court so much that they become the next European fashion trend among men.
3. Without Mr. Penkala, we would still use ink and pencil to write love letters, sign legal contracts today. Mr. Penkala invented what? Surprise…a pen, ballpoint pen.
4. If you think that Steve Jobs is the most famous inventor who gives you iPhone, iPad, iPod, I this and that, or Mark Zuckerberg is so cool, he created Facebook, think again. Without electricity, there is no iPhone to update Facebook. We all owe it to the Croatian-born Nicolas Tesla who, like Jobs and Zuckerberg, developed AC power despite having no university degree.